Duleep Trophy final: Can East Zone overcome star-studded South Zone?
What's the story
The much-awaited Duleep Trophy final is set to take place between South Zone and East Zone in Chennai from September 6 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The match promises to be a thrilling contest, with both teams boasting strong line-ups. The South Zone has bolstered its squad with the inclusion of Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj for the final clash. Here is the preview.
Conditions
Pitch report and other details
The pitch at Chepauk usually starts out as a good surface for batting early in the contest, offering steady bounce and allowing stroke-play once batters settle in.
However, as the game progresses, spinners are also likely to come into play.
Owing to the same, the toss-winning captain must elect to bat.
Meanwhile, the game will get underway at 9:30am IST.
Team strength
South's batting line-up full of star players
The South Zone's batting line-up looks formidable with players like Narayan Jagadeeshan, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, and captain Tilak Varma.
However, the coaching staff will have to make room for two promising batters - Shaik Rasheed and R Smaran - in the final squad.
This could mean that Karun may not get a chance, as he was left out of the semi-final against North Zone.
Player status
Indian stars may miss Duleep Trophy final
The final decision on the participation of Tilak Varma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Ishan Kishan in the Duleep Trophy final reportedly rests with India head coach Gautam Gambhir.
All three players are part of the squad for the Afghanistan T20I series starting September 13.
They are expected to join training in New Delhi on September 9 or 10.
This leaves a small window between the Duleep Trophy final and their next assignment with India.
Team composition
East Zone banking on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
The East Zone will be banking on the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who impressed in the semi-final against Central Zone.
He played some aggressive shots but also showed his defensive technique while facing Yash Thakur and Saransh Jain.
The team also has a strong bowling attack led by seasoned campaigners Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Shami, who picked up seven wickets between them in the semi-final's second innings.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
South Zone (Probable): Ricky Bhui, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shaik Rasheed, Tilak Varma (c), Smaran Ravichandran, Shreyas Gopal, Tanay Thyagarajan, Mohammed Siraj, Vidhwath Kaverappa, MD Nidheesh.
East Zone (Probable): Abhimanyu Easwaran, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Kumar Kushagra, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Virat Singh, Md Kounain Quraishi, Anukul Roy, Abhijit K Sarkar, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Tilak Varma propelled South Zone with twin 50-plus scores in the semi-final clash against North Zone (116* & 51*).
Mohammed Shami claimed 37 wickets in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season at a stellar average of 16.72.
Padikkal recently delivered a Player-of-the-Series performance on India's Test tour of Sri Lanka, scoring 328 runs in three innings at No. 3.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old Indian prodigy, made history in the semi-final by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in the Duleep Trophy.
Poll
